KINDS OF DU'A

PRAYER OR SUPPLICATION (DU'A) IS THE ESSENCE OF

WORSHIP OR SERVANTHOOD TO ALLAH. WHAT RISES TO ALLAH FROM THE WHOLE

CREATIONS IS PRAYER. IT HAS KINDS AND DEGREES:

THE FIRST KIND IS THE PRAYER OF ALL ORGANISMS, PLANT, ANIMAL AND HUMAN, THROUGH THE NATURAL DISPOSITION

OF THEIR BODIES AND THEIR FUNCTIONING IN LINE WITH THEIR DUTIES IN CREATION. THIS KIND OF PRAYER IS ALWAYS

ACCEPTED.

THE SECOND KIND IS THAT WHICH IS UTTERED BY ALL ORGANISMS, PLANT,

ANIMAL, AND HUMAN, IN THE TONGUE OF VITAL NEEDS. ALLAH

MEETS THESE NEEDS JUST ON TIME, WITH THE EXCEPTION THAT PLANTS,

AND THE ANIMALS RELATIVELY WEAKER AND LESS INTELLIGENT (AS

COMPARED TO OTHERS, SUCH AS WOLVES AND FOXES), ARE

NOURISHED MORE EASILY THAN THE OTHERS. THE MORE POWERFUL AND

INTELLIGENT AND MORE SELF-SUBSISTING A CREATURE IS, THE

GREATER HARDSHIP IT SUFFERS TO GET NOURISHMENT.

THE THIRD KIND OF PRAYER IS THAT WHICH IS DONE BY HUMAN BEINGS. THIS FALLS INTO

TWO CATEGORIES:

THE FIRST CATEGORY IS THE ACTIVE PRAYER. IT MEANS COMPLYING WITH THE LAWS THAT ALLAH HAS SET FOR LIFE. FOR EXAMPLE, A FARMER'S

PLOUGHING THE SOIL IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE. A PATIENT'S GOING TO THE DOCTOR IS APPEALING TO

ALLAH FOR CURE. THIS KIND OF PRAYER IS USUALLY ACCEPTED.

THE SECOND CATEGORY IS THE VERBAL PRAYER THAT WE DO. THIS KIND OF PRAYER IS ALSO ANSWERED. BUT ANSWERING IS DIFFERENT FROM

ACCEPTING. ALLAH ANSWERS ALL THE PRAYERS DONE SINCERELY. HOWEVER, HE ANSWERS SOMETIMES BY GIVING WHATEVER IS ASKED FOR,

SOMETIMES BY GIVING WHAT IS BETTER, SOMETIMES BY POSTPONING GIVING TO THE AFTERLIFE, AND SOMETIMES BY NOT GIVING AT ALL, SINCE

IT WILL NOT TURN OUT IN FAVOR OF THE ONE WHO PRAYS. THE WAY THAT ALLAH ANSWERS PRAYER DEPENDS ON HIS WISDOM.

JAZAK ALLAH KHAIR